


Duty Calls

by miss_aligned



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, F/M, Mass Effect 2, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6678298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_aligned/pseuds/miss_aligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan struggles to fulfill his responsibilities in the aftermath of one of the most traumatic events of his career.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Duty Calls

A heavy sigh escaped Kaidan as he leaned forward, pressing the heels of his hands firmly to the counter with his head dipped in thought. The spectacular quiet had a tendency to inadvertently stress him out from time to time. Thoughts became jumbled.

“Looking good, Lieutenant,” a familiar voice cooed.

Glancing up in the mirror, Shepard stood behind him, leaning casually against the wall. One elbow was propped in her opposite hand as she took a moment to fully appreciate what she was seeing.

A smirk and a low chuckle were all she received in return. He shook his head and began tending to his dark locks. It was nearly time to leave, so he had to make it quick.

“What can I say? You clean up nicely,” she continued, a certain familiar playfulness to her tone.

Kaidan took a moment to shift his gaze slowly from his slightly uncooperative hair, to Shepard, to his full reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t much of a fan of dress blues, as they felt stiff and uncomfortable. He preferred comfort and utility most of the time. “You know this isn’t my favorite thing.”

She chuckled lightly, still nonchalantly leaning back against the wall behind him. “Well this all part of the job. I think we both knew that when we signed on.”

True as the statement might have been, it certainly didn’t make the Lieutenant feel any better.

It was easy for her to say. She didn’t have to tame any unruly curls or press her uniform just so. She looked good in just about anything, as far as he was concerned. As she stood there behind him with that devilish grin, Kaidan took a moment to let his gaze slide across her form. He might not have appreciated dress blues, but he certainly liked the way that standard issue fatigues hugged her curves in all the right ways. How many times had he caught himself staring when she bounced off of the elevator to chat with him?

That was probably a question better left unanswered.

“I don’t even know why you’re bothering to make your hair perfect. Aren’t you just going to mess it all up with your cap?” Shepard teased.

It was a fair point, he supposed, but that didn’t stop him from taking all the time he could combing and styling until it was perfect. Meanwhile, his eyes flitted from what he was doing to the wonderful, troublesome woman behind him in the reflection. She smiled impishly at the attention.

Once done, he stood up straight and examined his reflection carefully for aberrations or adjustments to be made.

Shepard hummed in appreciation before adding, “perfect.”

Her thoughtful admiration caused him to take a deep breath and stand a little taller. He wanted to look good for her. Still, in this getup he felt stuffy and out of place. Kaidan’s head dropped downward once more before he shook it slowly. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko,” Shepard said, her words dripping with mock disbelief. “Am I to understand that you will be shirking your duty?”

There was a long pause. “No. Of course not.”

The response was whispered directly in his ear, intended only for him. There was a tingle that crept up his spine in that moment… the type only she could cause. “You can do anything. Don’t doubt yourself.” He knew that she meant every bit of it, though that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

When he glanced up in the mirror to look his love in the eyes, she was gone.

He picked his pristine cap up off of the counter and tucked it under his arm. Duty called, even if it was the most painful memorial service of his life. Those final words echoed in his mind for a few long seconds before he muttered his response to no one in particular.

“I can’t bring you back.”


End file.
